Reborn
by darksunshine200
Summary: Fate can be twisted, played with. Shaped in ways none could have foreseen. A legend is mysteriously reborn and placed in the careful hands of Earth's heroes, setting off long-lasting grudges and fear. Can they mold this fragile power with their own hands, or will fate take another, darker turn?
1. Chapter 1

**Read and enjoy!**

**Note: The setting is post-GT. Deal with it. B)**

The forest was one stretching shadow as midnight came and went, the deep sky void of a moon. Stars were pinpricks, endless in a way only the country mountains could boast. Nocturnal creatures cried out their routine songs. Trees swayed noisily as the wind shifted through their branches. The wind itself howled.

With no warning at all, every sound dropped. The breeze abruptly cut off, the trees stilled. Animals and birds silenced their calls. The woodland was suddenly motionless, not a single living thing stirring. The silence would have been deafening to human ears, had they witnessed the phenomenon. Nature was quiet in an unheard of spectacle.

That silence was quite soon to be replaced, as a single star blinked, then grew brighter. What had once been a gleam the size of a pinhead increased with astonishing speed, and the forest was lit by a striking white glow. It wasn't the Earth's resident star, the signal for morning. Rather, it was a new occurrence altogether, with the single star expanding till it appeared the same size as the moon from the planet's surface.

Animals dove for cover when it finally ceased growing, hanging blindingly in the sky. Birds screamed in warning. The center of the star was becoming tinged with red, concentrating with each second. Soon the forest area was draped in a scarlet light as the star glinted bloodred. It flashed once, then twice.

It was gone. The light vanished, the star back in its usual place, as though nothing had happened at all. But something had, in fact, happened. The startled animals cautiously crawled out of their hiding spots, and followed a strange new scent to a particular spot. They carefully crowded, attempting to unmask this unfamiliar aura that had befallen the clearing in the middle of the woods. The grassy clearing shone unnaturally, glowing softly with a white light that was swiftly vaporizing. Curious, a young dinosaur crept closer to the center and sniffed loudly.

All the gathered creatures startled when a hand twitched, then the other. They slowly stalked closer again when there was a low moan. Not heeding his mother's frightened call, the baby dinosaur let out an overjoyed huff of breath, thinking he had made a new friend. He whined quietly and licked one of the hands sloppily until it moved again, this time curling its fingers. The baby wagged his tail excitedly.

The young man under a painful barrage of licks took a renewing breath, the corner of his mouth gradually rising. After a wet lick over his face, he opened glowing white eyes and laughed.

~!*!~

It was getting harder with each passing day. By nightfall, he could hardly walk. The young dinosaur that had befriended him could sense it, too, as he snuffled around at his legs, emitting quiet whines. The only way he could get the little one to settle down was by placing a hand on his head, but he could tell by the way his fingers trembled that the action would become less comforting as time went on. The baby tried his best to help, curling up against his side as he had done since the day they had met, however long ago that had been. He couldn't remember.

He winced as the dino nudged his ribs with its bulky snout. They hadn't been together long, but already he knew they were in some way bonded emotionally. The little guy could sense his rising distress and did everything it could to ease him. It worked occasionally, but only for a short time. His mind simply wouldn't rest, meaning his body hadn't fully rested since the several days he'd been here in the forest.

He was tired, though it might have been an understatement to say so. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. It was all so incredibly strange. He had woken a few sunrises ago, but ever since then he had been impossibly weak. Couldn't sleep, could hardly eat whatever the young dinosaur thought to brought him-raw meat usually. Whatever he could swallow only came back up shortly after, draining him further. His limbs felt heavy and useless, no energy whatsoever. That was how it had been ever since he had awakened, but why? He supposed he didn't care about why as much as how to make it go away. He did't like feeling like this at all.

Staring absently down at the dinosaur head resting in his lap, now snoring softly, his vision blurred and faded. He despised, feared, this feeling that he could...could die at any given time. He could die. The very thought made his jaw clench fearfully. In the deepest recess of his mind, the idea of passing on made him tremble. It was some kind of primitive fear, he guessed. It didn't make much sense, how terrified he was, considering how badly he suffered. The small part of his mind that still functioned well made him wonder why he was so afraid, when he should more likely be embracing the concept of dying to escape.

He was in pain, head throbbing, muscles aching, lungs burning, albeit much duller now than when he had first come to-that part was scary enough. The pain was slipping away, and that, he deduced, meant he must be closer to death than he liked. By thinking about it for too long, his teeth would begin to chatter. He hated it, hated it so much. But why? He didn't care. At this point, he just wanted to not be gradually losing ground.

The little dinosaur suddenly jerked his head up and aimed it toward the entrance of the small cave they rested in. Rumbling footsteps and loud grunts signaled the return of his parents, bringing dinner no doubt. The baby got up and started to dart out excitedly, then paused, looking back with big sad eyes. His friend smiled reassuringly and gave a slight nod. The dino lowered his head a bit, but did as told and ran out, crying out his welcome to the adults.

All his less-than dinosaur friend could do was watch with a sinking heart. He didn't like to act as depressed as he felt around the little guy; it affected him too. But it was hard to keep one's hopes up as they felt their strength deteriorating with each hour, unable to do a thing. He bit the corner of his lip and looked down at his reclined body. A long-time issue reentered his mind for the millionth time.

The clothes he wore. By now they were grimy and nearly indistinguishable with tears, but he remembered first seeing them when he woke up. They were nice, he supposed. Baggy white pants, scarlet sash, gold belt. He found out the hard way, thanks to dino, that he wore earrings, nearly having them torn out by razor sharp teeth. The gold necklace formerly around his neck lay nearby, dented and slobbery from being used as a toy. He couldn't care less about it, anyway. What he did care about was...why he couldn't remember where the clothes hade come from.

It aggravated him to no end for some reason. Maybe it was silly, but he felt as though he _should _remember. As though the memory were there...but he couldn't reach it. Frustrating, to say the least. On that note, he had no idea how he had gotten to these woods in the first place. He just remembered waking up, and the rest had sort of gone by in a blur. He had no recollection of anything beforehand, which bothered him much, much more than not knowing how he had gotten some clothes. All memory was gone.

So here he was dying _and _amnesiac. What a way to end life... His brows lowered as his legs faded out in his sight and he blinked hard. It didn't help, everything was still fuzzy and dark. His breathing sped up and his eyes widened slightly. He couldn't get rid of the darkness anymore, instead it lingered like a bad taste. A bad taste that was slowly causing him to panic. He was dying. Yes, he was definitely about to die. His whole body was shivering with fear as he hugged his arms closer. He didn't want to die.

After a few moments, he resorted to squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his jaw to keep his teeth from rattling too badly. He had to calm himself, otherwise he would go into a panic attack, that much he knew. But it was too hard. His body was collapsing around him and it was terrifying. His breath caught in his throat, serving to make his heart skip a beat. No, no, no...no dying. Not tonight. Not ever, never. He could hear his own gasping breath and pounding heart, louder than thunder during a storm. Beyond that, he could feel more than hear himself choking, hiccuping, trying desperately not to give in to himself. It was too much, too much...

"Rrrrrah?"

He gasped and pulled his head up. There was the baby dinosaur standing over him with huge dark eyes, looking both confused and fearful as he held an animal leg in his jaws. When his person-friend looked back down, breathing raggedly, he dropped the leg and stepped closer.

"Urrrr?" he purred confusedly, deeply concerned. He could tell his friend was in pain, but he didn't know why or what to do. So he settled on gingerly curling up against the man's side.

Taking in gulps of air at a time, sweat dripping down his nose, he glanced down at the young creature snuggled next to him, its own chest rising and falling much softer. Just seeing the dino made his heart slow its pace, his breathing still rapid but calming. He was there, he was alive. He wasn't dead. He was very much alive. Closing his eyes again, he let those words overflow his mind. He was alive.

Opening them again, he found the giant muzzle of a parent dinosaur sniffing the entrance, sensing the distress pouring off him in gallons. He couldn't help but crack a tiny smile. They may not show as much affection, but he knew those two vicious carnivore cared for him, just a bit. There, that made him feel better. He could feel the fear melting away.

Still, he chewed his lip again and took a shallow breath. His cheeks were cold and wet from tears he hadn't even noticed slipped out. There was no need to worry now. He was okay. After all, the dino was with him. Yet...at the same time, the gnawing ominous feeling refused to leave his empty stomach. He wasn't in the clear, far from it. He had managed to survive this episode, but he got a strong feeling it was only of more to come.

Except this time he denied it. He would not allow himself to sink into that despair again, he could not. Both for his and the dinosaur's sake. He very well may not survive the next attack, and he couldn't possibly do that to his little friend. The baby would be crushed. No, he would continue to live. Somehow.

Right then, he suddenly made up his mind. If he survived this night, he would gather up every drop of non-existent strength he had left come morning and head out to find help. Anything would do, or anyone. He refused to die here. He would find someone to bring him back to health in any way possible, just so he could be with the friend that kept him alive all this time, simply by being by his side.

That, he promised himself.

~!*!~

"Mom, I'm home!"

ChiChi looked up from her seat at the table, wearing a small smile. "How'd it go, Goten?"

Her youngest son paused, a strange look on his face as his hand subconsciously rubbed the back of his neck. She twisted her lips at him once she noticed he wasn't meeting her eyes. "...Not so great?"

"You...you could say that."

"What happened? And put your stuff away first."

He glanced down to where he still held his dark blue carrier bag. ChiChi resumed sipping her steaming mug of tea, absently reading the day's newspaper. She enjoyed nights like this, drinking warm tea, listening to the heavy rain beating against the roof and windows. Unfortunately, she didn't get very many of them.

Then she looked back up when she noticed her boy hadn't moved from in front of the closed door. She placed her cup down with concern. "Is everything alright?"

Goten blinked, startled out of his thoughts apparently, and met her eyes. Her motherly instincts suddenly kicked to max mode. Her precious baby boy was sad, it was easy to tell by his ever-so open eyes.

"Goten, what's the matter?" she asked worriedly, standing slowly. He predictably looked away with a shrug and started walking away to his room.

"Nothing's the matter," he tossed back casually as he briefly popped into his room to undoubtedly throw his bag on the floor, along with the rest of his belongings. Right now, though, ChiChi felt there were more important matters than a clean bedroom, surprising as it was.

"Something _is,_" she insisted a bit firmly. "You have your father's eyes-they're like a book. Like it or not."

He hesitated in his trip to the living room, sparing her a quick glance before sinking into the couch with a tiny sigh. That only made her even more curious, so she nonchalantly settled down on the cushion beside him. The television wasn't on; he simply sat there, staring out the window. He truly was like a printed book, as easy to read as the pages. That didn't mean it was a good thing.

"Honey..." She placed a light hand on his arm, forcing him to look at her. "I can tell something's bothering you, so just tell me. The date-how did it go?"

He looked away again, this time chewing the corner of his lip. It looked like he wanted to spout the whole story, but something was keeping him back. She realized he was beginning to act more like Gohan than his father in the way he acted sometimes. Much more reserved, while still mostly upbeat, deeper in thought, actually _using _his brain. Little things like that tipped her off. It made sense though, she thought with an old sadness that had been buried away. He had spent considerably more time with his brother than his dad.

Right now, he was showing his Gohan-Side. That is, until she crossed her arm and gave him her best executed 'mother' look, a turn of her lips, a raised brow. At that, he looked away much more quickly and rubbed his neck again.

"It's just..." he said quietly. Yes, she was getting somewhere! That look always worked with both Gohan and Goku. "Yeah, it didn't go so well."

"What happened?" she urged softly.

"She dumped me."

He sounded blunt, but she could tell he was a little more affected than he let on. Her brows lowered with concern. So that was it. She couldn't say she had experience, neither did Gohan, but she tried her best to relate. She could only imagine what must have been going through his head.

"I'm so sorry, Goten..." She squeezed his arm comfortingly. "But I guess she wasn't the one."

"No."

"...Was there anything else?" She couldn't help but feel he was still keeping something.

"Well...I guess it's not my business, but I'm kind of worried about her." His cheeks held a hint of red as his eyes aimed downward.

"Worried?"

"Yeah, see the thing is... Today, when she-we-broke up, she left with another guy. I don't wanna make assumptions, but by the way they were acting, I'm thinking he was her new boyfriend. And...ugh, I don't know."

ChiChi could only watch with hidden confusion at his words. He sounded so conflicted, but to her, if it was the girl who called it off, then it shouldn't be his problem. But then again, she knew nothing about this sort of thing. Still, she again attempted to be the empathetic mother.

"What is it?" she asked. "Something about the new guy you don't like?"

He nodded slightly. "You know Valese; she's super...she's just so-"

"Gullible?"

"...I was going to say 'innocent' but I guess that works." The two shared tiny smiles before he launched back in. "Anyway, the guy was just so opposite, if you know what I mean. Like some kind of gang leader."

"Really?" Her brows raised. This certainly wasn't good, and he had reason to be worried.

"But I couldn't say anything. I mean, they seemed happy. At least she did; he just sort of scowled. Heh...reminded me a bit of Vegeta, if he were a tatooed teenager."

There were a few moments of silence. Then there was no stopping the abrupt flood of loud laughter from the two as soon as the dam broke. The mere image in both their heads was hilarious enough to last them a good five minutes of unrestrained laughing. After a while, they trailed off once the scary reality of that picture occurred. The Saiyan prince as a gang leader... Suddenly they were vaguely reminded it wasn't so far from the truth.

"Uh..." Goten cleared his throat, but there was still a glimmer in his eyes that made ChiChi herself feel better. She hated seeing him any less than joyful. "A-anyway..."

"You should tell Bulma about that next time we see them," ChiChi joked, winking, and he began laughing again.

Then silence reigned supreme again. This time, however, it was a somewhat pleasant quiet, a light-hearted mood still in the air, the rain still pouring. This was how she liked it, enjoying some downtime with her son, even if the original topic had been a bit dreary.

Both of them suddenly jumped at a white shock of light, followed almost instantly by roaring thunder. Outside the nearby window, they witnessed the strongest part of the day-long storm. Wind howled obnoxiously loudly, trees of all shapes and sizes bending at its will. With a barely audible snap, a rotten tree at the edge of their view collapsed, sending off a new whirlwind of leaves as it collided with the mud ground. The two watched, transfixed, as strike after strike of lightning whitened the dark room.

It was impossible to not reminisce back to years ago. Goten was three, cute as a button, and curled up in a blanket on the couch. The night was very similar to this one, dark and gusty, thunder almost constantly rumbling. The little boy was only half a face as the rest of him was bundled in an old red blanket. At a particularly loud boom, he jumped with a squeak and hid the rest of his face. He always hated storms, no matter the size. Not long after, though, his mother came to the rescue. She scooped him up in her arms, causing him to give a small laugh even though he was scared. She would tuck him into bed, still wrapped up, and covered him with his bedsheets. He would complain that he would melt with so many on.

Now he was an adult, yet he still held onto her for comfort in times of need. She smiled wistfully as he continued to stare out the window. Perhaps she wasn't the champion at all things romantic, but she helped in every way she possibly could. And it seemed to have worked. The gleam was still in his eye from their comic break, and though he was still clearly concerned, she had succeeded in consoling him for now. They would get to the next part when it came, and she would be there again.

Nights like these were golden for thinking. She only wished there were more thunderstorms to enjoy.

Thump. Tunk.

"Hm?" They both turned at the sound, coming from the front door. The noise stopped.

Scraaatch.

"Is someone clawing at my door?" ChiChi exclaimed indignantly as she swiftly got up and flew over. The scratching was much to loud to be a stray cat or another familiar animal. Must have been a flying tree branch or some other type of debris that was currently being tossed around. She just hoped her front door hadn't been damaged, not mentioning she had painted it only a month ago.

She carefully opened the door, fearful of heavy rain and wind getting into her clean house, peering around the edge to inspect the outside surface. What she found was not what she had expected by a long shot.

"Goten, come here!"

Goten stood up quickly at her shriek and rushed over, exclaiming, "What? What?"

He gasped. There, on the doorstep of their house, lied a limp figure. A man, by the looks of it. Goten wasted no time in crouching down next to the person, ignoring the dangerous weather. He seemed to be unconscious, a brief check revealing that he was breathing, but faintly. No time to waste. The demi-Saiyan didn't bother looking to his mom for confirmation as he hoisted the man up as much as he could. The guy was heavier and bulkier than he had first anticipated.

"Bring him inside," he heard ChiChi instruct loudly over the winds. "To the couch."

"Alright," he grunted in reply, then frowned down at the man halfway held in his arms. "Hang in there, big guy."

The unconscious man was a good deal taller than him, causing a slight issue in the way he was carried-or, rather, dragged inside. But Goten did his best. He pushed the questions out of his mind for the moment as he focused solely on getting the person to safety. Judging by how frigid his bare skin felt, he had been out much longer than doctors recommended.

ChiChi was waving to him like a traffic director, occasionally putting in a frantic word as she worried about how he was carrying her latest 'patient.' He mostly ignored her, unable to change anything, and made it to the couch. A few more difficult maneuvers and the man was lying flat, almost half the length of his legs hanging off the end.

Temporarily shooed away by his mother, Goten hung back as she knelt beside the man and inspected him quickly. He looked to be in some kind of pain, breathing raggedly with his mouth hanging open for air, trembling head to toe, brows knit tightly. It was hard not to feel sorry for him as Goten waited for further instruction. He was no expert at this stuff. Now, maybe if Gohan had been there it would have been another story.

ChiChi finally stood again and gazed down at him with furrowed brows. She turned around to her 'assistant.' "Go get a towel so we can dry him off. Poor thing's as cold as ice."

"Got it." He darted off, and came back seconds later holding two beach towels, which were the first he could find.

They set off drying him as best they could, ChiChi taking the top half, Goten the other. He got stuck with ringing out the man's sopping pants, which almost left him with buckets of water. He didn't complain-how could he possibly? He, for one, really liked helping people, and this man desperately needed it. Despite being in a much warmer environment, his breathing only seemed to decline as he would frequently give a rattling cough that made Goten cringe. He sounded awful. All the more reason to hurry.

When he glanced back, his mom had paused in her drying, towel clenched absently in one hand. The other was gently fingering his face, which made Goten stop as well.

"Mom?" he asked slowly, one eyebrow raised high. She only glanced back briefly before resuming.

"He's got gold earrings," she stated, not sounding the least bit affected by his odd staring. That stopped once he realized she had simply been brushing back his wild black hair to get a better look.

"Gold, huh?" He leaned forward to see. She was right; two gold loops made themselves known. "Where...where d'you think this guy comes from, wearing clothes like this? Almost looks like royalty." He had been joking on that last bit, but it did appear that way to be honest.

ChiChi only shrugged then went back to rubbing his well-sculpted biceps with the towel. "I don't know. But I intend to find out once he wakes up."

He nodded, and started to work again as well only to be startled by a loud noise, once again coming from the door. A thunk, like something large hitting the wood. ChiChi scowled in that direction. "Please, I don't need another one at my door."

Goten chuckled, then got up to check out the noise. He opened it cautiously, but then widened it upon seeing what was on their doorstep now. He blinked. "Er...hey, little guy."

A baby dinosaur-a T-Rex, by the looks of it-stared up at him with giant dark eyes. The two stared for a few moments before Goten gave it a crooked smile.

"What's up?" he asked it, bending over so he was at its height. He and dinosaurs had a good history, so he was sure they had spread good stories about him to their friends. Maybe this one was among them?

It sat there on its haunches with a lowered head and whimpered sadly. He frowned. It looked so depressed for some reason, like if it hadn't been a dinosaur it would have been crying. He didn't understand. Then the baby peered around him into the house, whining growing louder and more anxious. Goten glanced back, and suddenly it clicked.

"You were the one scratching on the door the first time," he said with realization. "Were you..with him?"

The baby cocked its head and stared up at him again until he caught the affirmation in its eyes. It still didn't make sense, though. Why would the baby dino be with him? Were they buddies? Goten had gotten plenty of friends like that when he was little, so he understood. But a grown man...? He was no one to judge, that was for sure. His dad had animal friends even now.

"Well..." He sighed. "Sorry, I know you're probably worried. But you can't come in. My mom-"

"Goten, who's there?" she called on cue.

"Just a baby dinosaur friend," he answered casually. He could sense her pause.

"...Don't let it in the house!"

"Right." He looked at the creature apologetically. "Sorry, little fella. Go back to your parents."

He closed the door, catching the baby whine again before it was blocked off. He felt bad, truly he did. But there wasn't anything he could do for it. Instead, he went back to the passed out figure on the couch and continued to squeeze water from his muddy pants.

~!*!~

**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Read and enjoy!**

~!*!~

Less than half-an-hour later, they had their patient mostly dry and under a blanket. Meanwhile, ChiChi herself busy searching for anything she kept in the house for the cold he most undoubtedly had. Problem was, she and her boys never got sick, so there had never been much need for medicines and such. She would have to make do with what she had, as little as there was.

"Why don't you ask Gohan if he has what you need," Goten piped up from his spot beside the couch. "I know Videl has gotten sick a few times, so they may be able to help."

"Good thinking," she praised, going over to the home telephone. But she paused before grabbing it. "...It's awfully late. I'd feel bad to-"

"Mom, just do it."

"Right, right." She pursed her lips as she tapped a few buttons. At least they had no young children to worry about waking up. Of course, she would feel a little bad making Gohan make the almost nonexistent journey through the storm.

In the next door house, the ringing phone was picked up with slight puzzlement. It was a bit past ten p.m., who would possibly be calling?

"Hello?" Videl answered.

"_Good evening, Videl." _Ah, it was ChiChi. That was a good enough explanation. "_Sorry to bother you so late, but could you send Gohan over? He wasn't answering his phone._"

Videl looked over her shoulder at the closed door to the office room. Her brows lowered and she rolled her eyes. "He's in the study without his phone. I'll send him over."

"_Thank you._"

She hung up and made a beeline to the door her studious husband lurked behind. It wasn't unusual for him to enter the library for a little quiet without his cell, seeing as how there were hardly ever any calls exchanged. She swung the door open.

"Gohan, your mom called for you," she said.

He looked up from his thick volume with a 'hm?' "What did she say?"

"Nothing." Videl shrugged as she turned to leave the room again. "But she sounded hurried, so you better get over there now."

"Ah, right." He gave a soft sigh, closed his book, and stood. "Wouldn't want to keep her waiting," he added with a small, joking smile. Never was one to keep an anxious mother waiting, especially not this one. There was any number of things she could need.

At least they lived directly next door, adjoined by two walkways for easy access. The two families went back and forth quite often, usually in the case of lacking something the other had. That was how it went, and Gohan was glad. Most of the time it was cooking supplies that needed borrowing.

He rushed to pull on his jacket before barging out into the raging storm. Lucky for him, he could fly. About five seconds later, he was at his old house's front door, opening it without a thought.

"You needed something?" he asked, looking around for the rest of his family. The house was warm and quiet, just like always, and he took a moment to appreciate his mom's choice of lit candle for the night.

"Oh, Gohan." ChiChi appeared out of the living room, eyes still aimed at something inside. Gohan noticed the way she wrung her hands, brows pinched. She was anxious about something. What had happened? "I-"

"Hey!" Goten peeked his head around the corner, waving at his older brother. "We need your help."

Gohan slid his raincoat off-realizing wearing it had been somewhat pointless, but no matter-and walked into the living room with curiosity. It was often that they called him over for simple things, so he figured this was no exception. Maybe a broken lightbulb, or the television not working. He wasn't fully prepared for the actual problem at hand, however.

"What?" he exclaimed mostly to himself. ChiChi followed closely behind him, going around to stand beside Goten once he had stopped.

A stranger rested on their sofa, a worn blanket pulled up over him as he slept, breathing notably shallow. So they had taken in a ill man. Not much of a surprise there, but Gohan could see why they would want him to come over. He took into account that his mother lacked certain medicinal qualities, seeing as how her family was half-alien. He nodded slowly to himself as his thoughts slowed down.

"What do you need?" he asked ChiChi, not looking away from the man.

"He seems to be having trouble breathing. Is there anything you know of that can help? And maybe something for a cold?"

"I can see what Videl has back at the house," he answered, but his voice was low.

For whatever reason, he couldn't pull his eyes away. He couldn't figure out why. There was something...something about this person that was ringing a bell. He supposed the man did look somewhat familiar, but from where? He had long, currently tangled and wet black hair, a tall form. There were plenty of people Gohan had seen like that. No, there was something else.

Then Gohan caught a sliver of gold behind the mop of black. Earrings. That seemed to set off more bells as he struggled desperately to place a name to the face. So _familiar. _It was killing him. Golden earrings, long black hair, something about his face... It was pale and pained, but there was a certain serious air to it. Just looking at his face made him picture it scowling.

Wait. Scowl, a mean smirk, replace the black hair with gold, merciless aqua eyes.

Oh, Kami.

"What is it?" Goten asked, but he barely heard it. "Is something wrong? You look a little sick."

Gohan managed to shake his head. Truth be told, he was feeling less than well. He knew exactly who this...this monster was. In his home. His jaw clenched painfully.

"Where did he come from?" he asked his mother, trying for her sake to keep his voice level. She looked at him with vague concern.

"We found him on the front step," she replied, making it sound sort of like she had picked up a package from the step instead of a person. No, not a person. Definitely not a person-a beast.

"How...?" he murmured. Then he tightened his fists and straightened. Now was not the time to think about that, instead they had to focus on what to do from here.

"Goten, you don't recognize him?" Gohan glanced at his younger brother slightly accusingly. He wouldn't blame him, but things might not have gotten this far if Goten had realized his identity from the start.

Goten blinked and shook his head before looking down at the unconscious with slight worry. "Should I? I kept thinking he seemed a little familiar but..."

"You fought him twice."

"I...did?" He gulped, but it didn't look like it had clicked yet.

Meanwhile ChiChi was glancing between the two with increasing anxiety. The mood had darkened considerably in so little time.

Gohan nodded, remembering to try and not worry his mother too much. That would lead nowhere. They had to deal with this calmly and effectively, however that would happen. He didn't know.

"It was years ago, so I understand." He couldn't help but glare at the now painfully familiar face.

"This is Broly."

~!*!~

A burst of thunder snapped Goten out of his shocked stupor. His face was a little whiter than usual as he gazed down at the monster they had brought in.

"It...it _is," _he muttered. "I...I didn't notice-"

"It's not your fault, Goten."

The younger demi-Saiyan looked up at his brother to see Gohan scowling. That was his desperate thinking expression, when he was faced with a challenge he couldn't solve at the exact second. It was almost possible to see the gears spinning. Right then, Goten couldn't think. All he could do was stare.

He remembered Broly well, despite their last meeting being about a decade ago. It had been etched into his memory just as every fight he'd struggled through was. Twice, he and Trunks had battled the Super Saiyan, and both times they were very nearly killed in the process. Gohan had told him in detail the first time he had fought him with their dad and the others, all of them also being crushed. He knew firsthand how terrifying the monster's power could be.

And he had brought it into their home. He swallowed, mixed emotions at the edge of his mind. All because he hadn't remembered the face, he had put his own mom in danger, not to mention himself and everyone around. Frankly, he very well may have endangered the entire planet and beyond. With absolute certainty, he knew if Broly were brought back to health, he could flick his wrist and annihilate the planet. That was a sour thought.

But then again, he realized, they were all stronger now. They stood a larger chance this time. Heck, they had Super Saiyan _Four _now, and the few battles over the past year had toughened them all up at least a little. He was pretty sure he would rather take on the Legendary Super Saiyan than the Omega Shenron any day. But he didn't want to get cocky.

Right then, though, they had a pretty big problem on their hands. Though it seemed like his defeat would be unquestionable if it came to that, no one wanted to take the chance. One thing Goten knew was that he wasn't staying in their house for one more second, no matter how injured or sick he was. He could go freeze to death outside, it would be what he deserved.

On that note... _How was he alive?_

Gohan looked to be thinking about that exact question as he frowned deeply. After a few more seconds, he let out a short breath and crossed his arms.

"We'll just have to assume he was brought back to life somehow," he said. "We both know he died when you, Trunks, and I fought him. That other one was synthetic, and he was destroyed too, no less. Anyway, that doesn't matter as much now as...as getting rid of him again."

"How?" Goten inquired.

"Excuse me!"

Both boys paused, then turned to their mother. ChiChi was watching them with a balanced mix of anger and bafflement. Goten recalled telling her about their fights with Broly before, but he supposed she knew even less than he did, and he knew next to nothing. He looked over at Gohan.

"Mom, you remember when I told you about that time Trunks, Goten, and I fought a Super Saiyan several years ago?" he started off slowly. He waited for her think, then nod, before he went on. "Well, this is him."

"This is that...that evil Saiyan?" She glanced over at the sofa with surprise and a hint of doubt. He understood why she would doubtful-at the moment he looked a lot less than threatening. But that could change in a heartbeat.

"Yeah. So we need to do something." Now Gohan was murmuring to himself, formulating some type of plan. Goten was with him.

Unfortunately, no good ideas made themselves known to him. He hadn't thought it would be this hard. To be blunt, they had the Super Saiyan of legend passed out on their couch, unable to defend himself by the looks of things. He could hardly breathe as it was. So what were they going to do about it? Murder him in his sleep? That had been the first thing that had come to mind, and Goten started to worry about his mental health. It would be easy to accomplish but that didn't make it a good idea.

He pressed his lips together when the Saiyan abruptly coughed, almost immediately falling into a hacking fit. Goten's own chest began to hurt just listening, and he could tell ChiChi's motherly instincts were kicking in, despite her knowledge. She was about to head toward the kitchen, probably for a glass of water, until Gohan put out an arm to stop her.

"Gohan," she chided, giving him a look. That expression fell upon seeing his dead serious frown.

He was watching the clearly pained 'guest' without emotion, causing both of the others to stare at him. Ordinarily he was so much more compassionate, but in this case Goten entirely understood. Then when Gohan blinked and gave his head a light shake, he realized he had been completely out of it, lost in thought and moving on autopilot.

When he saw what was happening around him, he still didn't lower his arm. "No...don't."

"I'm not about to-" she protested, only until Goten placed a hand on her arm.

The coughing had melted into wheezing gasps for air as his face gleamed with sweat. He looked miserable, limp with exhaustion, and pale. Goten was almost able to find it in his heart pity him. Almost, but not quite. Certainly not after everything he'd done. Gohan's story was brought back up in his mind, retelling how the feared legend had blown an entire planet to bits, just to spite its former inhabitants. Based on what Goten had witnessed for himself, he found it incredibly easy to believe.

Yet here he was, helpless before them. It was strange to say the least, now that he thought about it. The Saiyan had his teeth bared in pain as he struggled to even out his breathing, eyes squeezed shut tightly, one hand shaking as it clawed at his chest. Goten swallowed dryly when he realized he was awake now. Things were about to get extremely dicey.

Dark eyes groggily opened halfway, threatening to close at any moment. For a few moments he merely gazed up at the ceiling blankly, wincing with each intake of air. Then his eyes fell lazily on the one nearest-ChiChi. Gohan instantly appeared in front of her to block his view.

"Broly." He glared warningly, daring him to move. Goten couldn't get his legs to work.

But the full-blood only stared with glazed eyes, not even registering the person in front of him. All he could do was cringe as his entire body was racked with coughs again, the haggard exhaustion showing in his face. Gohan reluctantly let his arms lower just noticeably. There didn't seem to be a significant threat in the Saiyan as of now, but he would never take any chances.

As soon as the fit ended, Gohan took a careful step forward, keeping his mother well hidden behind him. He wet his lips and tried again.

"Where did you come from?" he asked, hoping to get that out of the way first. He made sure to raise his voice in an attempt to catch the other's full attention.

Sure enough, Broly turned his head slightly to face him, but his eyes were still unfocused as he took in his new surroundings. Gohan, however, was unwilling to allow him that much.

"Hey!" he snapped. "Answer the question! You're in no shape to escape, so tell us what we want to know."

Goten could tell he was being risky with his words, but he had confidence to back them up. Broly seemed to sense the intensity in his voice and aimed his full attention on his old enemy. Again, Gohan wavered. The menace he had always remembered seeing in the older Saiyan's face had been completely erased, replaced by...was that fear? Heavy as it was from the pain, there was distinct anxiety in his face. Was he scared of Gohan? He had reason to be, that was for sure. But for him to actually show it...? It didn't make sense.

"How did you get here?" Gohan reiterated slowly and drawn out.

"H...how...?" His voice was so soft, Goten almost couldn't catch it as he took an unconscious step forward to hear. At the movement, Broly's eyes jerked over to his direction and Goten froze in place. He bowed his head under his brother's quick glare.

"That's right." Gohan finally lowered his arms, crossing them over his chest imposingly. "Spill it."

He knew he had the upper hand and he was using that to his advantage. Under his powerful demand, the Super Saiyan closed his mouth and knit his brows. By then, the fear was plain on his face. Ordinarily, Gohan wouldn't intimidate his opponents that way if they were weaker than him, but this seemed like a special exception.

"I..." Broly took in as deep a breath as he could, sweating nervously. "I...walked..."

At that, Gohan blinked. He supposed he should have been more specific. "No, I meant how did you come back to life?"

"Wha...?" He peered up at him with wide, frightened eyes, looking a bit more like a young child than anything else. "I don't..."

"And don't even think about lying," Gohan added threateningly. "You were dead, I was there to make sure of it myself. So explain now!"

"I...I..." His breathing was speeding up as his eyes darted about. Now he looked utterly terrified. Goten could feel his own jaw falling open with shock at seeing him in such a state. It was beyond weird.

"Gohan..." ChiChi said to him quietly, grabbing his shoulder. He pushed her back further behind him.

He waited impatiently for an answer until the wind picked up dangerously outside. There was a crackle, then an almost blinding flash of white light flooded the room. Thunder crashed deafeningly.

When he had his sight back from the flash, blinking, Gohan was prepared to continue his assault. Except he stopped and his brows rose. Rubbing one eye, Goten frowned at his hesitation and looked in the same direction as he did. His eyes also widened.

Trembling, curled up on himself, the Saiyan of legend was crying for all he was worth. Hands covered his face as he sobbed quietly, not even bothering to turn away from them. He had been so overwhelmed that the flood gates had burst. Not one of the three watching could move a muscle, all mouthes hanging open. This was certainly unexpected, and no one was sure how to deal with it, particularly Broly himself.

The only thing capable of knocking the two boys out of their amazement was their mother stepping forward. Gohan grabbed at her, only for his hand to be met with thin air. In response, she scowled firmly at him, silently telling him to let her go. With great and evident reluctance, he did, withdrawing his arm with a disapproving frown. She smiled reassuringly.

Without a word, she knelt slowly by the sniffling Saiyan, not wanting to startle him. Upon her feather-light touch on his arm, he jumped and lowered his hands, visibly surprised. Then he looked down, wet cheeks reddening.

"S-sorry..." he choked out, sniffing and weakly rubbing bloodshot eyes. His shoulders still shook from unreleased sobs.

"It's alright," she said gently, laying her hand down fully on his arm. "You don't have to be scared."

He closed his eyes, a couple more tears spilling out, and breathed in deeply to calm. ChiChi remained still, sometimes giving his arm a light squeeze while he settled down, lungs still rattling painfully but drawing in and out more evenly. After only a minute, he was motionless again, in a fitful sleep. Only then did she stand and turn to face her boys.

Goten's jaw still gaped, but Gohan's mouth was pressed into a line. He looked torn as he glanced from his mom to the sleeping figure.

"Mom..." he murmured. "Why...?"

"Because, it's what parents do," was her only explanation as she wiped her hands off on her dress, satisfied. "The boy can't be any older than you."

"Boy...? Mom!" He clenched his hands into fists. "You just lulled one of the biggest threats to the universe asleep! That's not what we should be doing. I still didn't get an answer out of him!"

"You can get your answers when he wakes up," she countered. "Couldn't you see he was upset? He wouldn't have been able to give you any. Just relax until tomorrow."

"Oh my gosh, Mom..."

She shot him a smug smile. "I'm a mother. I can't help it."

~!*!~

**Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Read and enjoy! And please feel free to tell me what you think-what you think needs to be changed, what you like. I would REALLY appreciate it for future writing. Thank you!**

~!*!~

"Hang on!" Goten said to the door as he rushed over. He opened it and blinked in the harsh sunlight. "Oh, uh...Hey, Videl. Pan."

Pan waved happily at him while Videl flat-out ignored his greeting. She peeked around him into the house, trademark scowl on her features.

"Where's Gohan?" she demanded, finally looking Goten in the eye. "He didn't tell me he was staying the night!"

"He didn't? Well, we did have a bit of a rough night..." He scratched his head nervously. Videl wasn't someone you ever wanted to have to deal with angry.

"Is he in there?" She didn't wait for answer as she nearly pushed past him, marching inside with purpose.

Goten watched alongside his niece. Crossing her arms like her mother, Pan tilted her head with amusement. "I sure hope he has a good excuse."

"Eh...he does," Goten assured drearily.

Gohan looked up at his wife's commanding voice, and leaned back a bit as she stormed over to him. "Er, hey-"

"Don't you 'hey' me," she snapped. "What's the big idea? I don't care if you want to spend the night, but you should at least let me know first!"

"I'm sorry." He bowed his head. "But it's been really crazy. I'm sure you'll understan-"

"Who's this?" Her attention-and wrath-had been distracted as she turned her head to the one Gohan had been guarding all night long. She frowned. "What happened?"

"To be honest, I don't know," he admitted, brows lowered grimly. "Do...do you recognize him?"

He supposed she wouldn't be able to easily. He was starkly different now than before, sleeping relatively peacefully, black hair hanging in his face, even snoring softly. This seemed like a completely separate person than the one she had fought and lost against.

"...No..? Why? Do I know him?"

"You did. Years ago." He sighed wearily. "In that village in the mountains. You, Trunks, and Goten were out searching for the Dragon Balls."

He waited until the recollection was in her face before going on, "He's Broly, the Super Saiyan."

She mouthed the name, brows furrowed, thinking hard. Then her face fell, mouth dropping open. She looked quickly between Gohan and the old enemy. "Oh...oh my-this is really him?"

"Yep. Somehow alive even though we killed him that day. I don't know-"

"You have got some serious explaining to do!" she half-yelled, and he ducked just as he would for his mother. Couldn't they ever cut him a little slack?

"Shh! Shh!" He suddenly jumped to his feet and grabbed her shoulders, effectively silencing her while he looked anxiously down at the man. He hadn't so much as twitched. Thank Kami, or Dende. Whichever.

When she pushed him back, he rubbed his neck apologetically. "Sorry. I was just afraid you'd woken him."

She immediately slapped a hand over her mouth, realizing her mistake. "Eesh! Sorry!"

They both watched, frozen, as the legendary Saiyan gave a low groan and turned his head away from them in his sleep, wincing. His condition didn't seem to have improved other than he was coughing less, rather breathing in a way that made Gohan's chest sore. Fact was, he just didn't know what exactly to do. He was stuck as of now, at least until he woke up. Then he would at least get some answers, hopefully.

"Who's that?"

They both jumped and simultaneously hushed their daughter. Pan put her hands up defensively. "What?" she whispered. Her parents both pointed out the sleepily mumbling figure below and she clamped her mouth shut.

"Who is that?" she hissed, going around to stand beside them.

"You've never met him," Gohan explained. "And that's not important right now. Go hang out with Goten."

"Aw!"

Videl gave her look and she hung her head acceptingly. Gohan was about to thank her when they all jerked at a crash from the kitchen. Metal pots and pans. Instinctively, both adults hurried over to find out the commotion and inspect damage, momentarily forgetting their resident Saiyan.

Pan didn't. She watched them go with a small frown. What was the big secret? Who was this man? She was certain she'd never seen him before, but her parents seemed to know him, possibly from before she was born. She turned to face him, only to let out a startled squeak when she was met with deep onyx eyes.

"Er, hi." She weakly waved a hand politely. He only stared emotionless at her face, eyes hardly half-open. She kicked her foot awkwardly. Why was this guy being all creepy..?

"Um...I'm Pan," she introduced quietly, crouching so she was a little more at eye level. "Who're you?"

That seemed to get his brain working as he quickly looked away. His mouth opened like he wanted to talk but no sound came out.

"Can you speak?" she asked innocently.

"I...my name is Broly." His voice was so low she had to lean forward to hear.

"Huh. That's an interesting name." She smiled kindly. Broly only seemed confused by the gesture.

"Where'd you come from?" Pan went on. She sat on the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest comfortably, hoping to look as friendly as she could. She could tell he was timid just by looking at him, the way he refused to meet her eye, his quiet tone. It had almost been like he was scared of her. Now, though, perhaps by the way she was so relaxed, he let the tension slowly out of his muscles. She was glad. Sure, she could be pretty intimidating at times, but she did think it was a little odd frightening a man this much older than her.

He paused again, unsure of how to answer. Then he mumbled, "I don't know."

"Don't know?"

"I don't...remember."

She pinched her brows. Couldn't remember? Had he been knocked on the head or something? That seemed logical. It had happened to her grandpa years ago, after all.

"Well...are you from the city?" she tried.

"...I don't think so." His tone was unsure, and she was beginning to think he truly had gone through some brain damage. How could he not know where he came from? Or maybe he simply didn't have a home, roaming around the woods. She'd heard about guys like that.

"It's okay if you can't remember." She smiled assuredly. "I live right here. Well, not _right _here. The-eep!"

She jumped to her feet when a hand grabbed her shoulder, and found her father towering over her in his protective way. He was glaring directly at the man, who immediately shied away nervously.

"I'm sorry, Pan," Gohan said evenly, not looking at her. "I shouldn't have left the room. It was my fault."

"Your faul...?" She frowned. "Papa, why are you so...I don't know, upset? I wasn't doing anything, just talking to him. He's nice."

At that comment, he looked down at her with angry surprise. Honestly, what was his problem? "Pan, I don't want you to so much as look at him again, understand?"

"What? Why?"

"Because. It's complicated and I don't want to get you involved. Now go with Goten for now." He nodded to the doorway to the living room where Uncle Goten stood with a puzzled expression. Her mom came out alongside her grandmother, upset as well. She gestured for Pan to obey her father and leave the room, but she didn't move. She had too many questions.

"Could someone just tell me what this is about?" Pan exclaimed exasperatedly, looking around at all four of her family accusingly. Goten and ChiChi didn't meet her eye, forcing her parents to explain or not.

Gohan didn't speak for a few seconds, then he let out a deep sigh. When Pan saw his face, he looked worn and uncomfortable, anxious and frustrated. But why?

"Pan, I'm sorry," he finally said. "But not now, okay? I'll explain later."

"But-"

"No 'buts.' Just leave with your uncle."

She hesitated a few more moments, then stormed off into the other room, Goten trailing after her. So now they were keeping secrets. What was the big idea? Why couldn't she talk to him? Why couldn't they just tell her who the guy was? That was all she wanted to know. That, and why it was such the huge deal that they made it out to be. Was he so special? He hadn't seemed like much, more like a scared little kid. She just wanted to know what was going on.

~!*!~

"That guy's a _Super Saiyan_?" Pan cried in a whisper. Uncle Goten nodded, putting a finger to his lips to silence her. She could only shake her head. "But he's just so...so..."

"Yeah, I don't get it either." Goten sighed, sitting cross-legged on his bed next to her. "He's so different than before, it's like he's another person. Or...or maybe he is."

"Huh? What'd you mean?"

"I don't know..." He pinched the bridge of his nose, completely baffled. "It's just, he was supposed to be dead. Now, I know it's not all that unusual for bad guys like that to show up again." That last part sounded somewhat bitter. "But...I don't understand how."

"Dragon Balls?" Pan suggested. "Or when there was that big hole in the Other World or something? Maybe that was how he escaped."

"I dunno. Guess we'll just have to wait until your dad 'interrogates' him."

Pan nodded then looked down. She hoped he wouldn't be too mean. That guy was fragile enough as it was. She got the feeling if he were, as Goten put it, 'interrogated' too harshly, he might go into some kind of panic attack. And if he were some super powerful Saiyan, that might be dangerous.

Suddenly she got to her feet with resolve. "I'm gonna go listen in," she declared, leaving no room for argument. "Coming?"

Goten watched as she left the room but didn't say anything. Then he let his shoulders fall in defeat. "Right, coming."

The adults, Grandma ChiChi and Pan's parents, stood in the living room close by the couch. From her position on the other side of the wall, as close to the doorway as she dared, Pan couldn't see their prisoner, but she assumed they had him awake and ready to talk. She peeked around the corner, holding her breath.

"Just tell me this," Gohan said to the couch, arms crossed. "Do you know how you came back?"

There was tense silence for several moments, then Gohan looked away with frustration. Evidently the answer had been a no, or more likely a shake of the head. Still, he didn't give up.

"Do you...remember anything about what happened? Do you remember who I am?" A good question to ask. It had been about fifteen years ago, after all.

More hesitation, then, "N-no."

Gohan looked surprised, but tried to conceal it. Videl and ChiChi glanced at each other. This was turning out strangely. Granted, it was easy to forget a face, but Broly had always seemed to have a knack for remembering every Son's face because of their similarity to their father. Then Gohan tightened his fist.

"You two, step back, would you?" he asked the women. They were confused but obliged, edging back to the far wall. Then he took a breath.

"Broly, do you remember Kakarot?"

Only Gohan had a highly tense air about him as the others tried to figure out what he meant. Listening in, Goten remembered his encounters with the Saiyan, he had been repeating that word-Kakarot. He had had no clue what it meant, though. Gohan seemed to, and apparently it was a bad thing.

Gohan eyed his prisoner carefully. This was risky. Just the mere mention of that name was enough to set the monster off, throwing him into a fit of destructive rage. But it was a chance to test his theory, whether or not he responded to it.

Broly only stared up at him with the same wide, anxious eyes, but now Gohan could tell he was pondering the name. Surely he had to remember, otherwise...

He shook his head "no." So that settled it-he had lost his memory. Thank goodness for that.

Gohan slowly let his shoulders lower and turned his head to the two behind him. "It's okay. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he has a case of amnesia."

The women blinked, cautious but trusting. Well, this was a new situation altogether. The feared and mighty Saiyan was in their hands, docile as a baby deer by the looks of it. Gohan figured it was safe to assume that if he didn't remember Kakarot's name, the memory of his past had been at the very least buried. It was a relief, needless to say. Nonetheless, this was still an issue. The possibility of him regaining his memory hung over Gohan's head like a storm cloud. They may be strong, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be a problem.

"Well, if he's lost his memory, does that mean he's safe?" Videl asked quietly. She realized it might not be a good idea to let the enemy know he had a past. "He's not going to try and kill us all?"

"I can't say for sure, but that's what my guess is." Reluctantly, Gohan crouched down so he was no longer looming imposingly as he spoke to Broly, "Did you wake up in this forest?" He would start there and try to expand.

Visibly calmed slightly by his gentler tone, the raven-haired man nodded. Gohan went on, "And you said you walked here?"

He nodded once more.

"How long have you been on the mountain?"

"Um...can't remember. Few days?"

"Okay." Gohan stood up and leaned against the wall, frowning. "And you don't remember anything before you woke up, right?"

"Right..."

Gohan lowered his head in thought. He couldn't think of any more questions that could help them get to the bottom of the whole thing, so he would give Broly a break. He looked even worse than only a few minutes ago, overcome with stress, chest heaving like he had been running. Learning that he had amnesia didn't change Gohan's view at all, but he figured there was nothing more he could do. For now, they had to decide what to do with him.

Wordlessly, ChiChi brushed past him to her 'patient,' gingerly laying a damp cloth on his forehead as he flinched. She pursed her lips. "He's got a fever. Why don't you let him be for now, Gohan."

"That's...fine." Gohan couldn't keep himself from scowling lightly. It was just so wrong, caring for him like that. "I was done asking questions anyway."

The three gathered in the far corner of the room to discuss plans quietly. Meanwhile, eyes purposely averted, Broly bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. That lady was so kind to him. It was strange; he had a feeling deep in his gut that he had never gotten this sort of treatment before in his life. He wasn't able to remember any of his past, but he knew this was the first time someone had actually...cared for him. That woman, and the little girl too. Pan. She had smiled at him.

Why was he so surprised at kindness? Had he received none of it growing up? On one hand, he wished he could remember, while on the other he thought he was better off not knowing. What had his childhood been like? _Why _couldn't he remember? It was maddening. He still felt as though those memories were simply hidden, not gone completely. Like someone had buried them. But for what purpose? Was there even a reason? Had he hit his head or something, or was there someone behind it..? He just wanted to understand. The way all the others had acted toward him made him itch to know about his past. They all seemed to know him well, they even knew his name. He couldn't even recognize their faces.

And then there was that girl. She hadn't acted like all the others-much sweeter. True, that one older woman had been nice, but her care had been more like the mother dinosaur's. Tender and motherly. Pan seemed to have genuinely liked him. And he liked her already as well. She was the only one that didn't scare him in this whole place.

As he breathed in, his chest ached and he coughed painfully. Merely being inside the cozy warm home made him feel slightly better, but everything still hurt, especially his head. His stomach cramped and his entire body was sticky with a cold sweat. He hated this feeling. It was much too hot and hard to breathe. He was utterly drained but sleep was impossible, he was too uncomfortable. The blanket was stifling and the pillow beneath his head was warm and damp. He was beginning to miss the outdoors, with the cold rocks under his skin, the freezing wind sounding a great deal better than the conditions he was in now. But out there he wouldn't have the nice lady to take care of him. And then...No. He was staying right here.

"Psst. Psst!"

He looked up and there was a familiar face hanging above him. Pan smiled.

"Hey there," she whispered, frequently glancing up at where the adults were clustered. She smirked evilly in their direction before grinning sweetly back down at him. "How are you feeling?"

It took his brain a few seconds to function properly again, and he mumbled confusedly, "Uh...bad."

"Well, you're honest, I'll give you that." She started and ducked swiftly behind the couch again when her mother glanced over in their direction. After several long moments, she peeked back over with a breath of relief. "That was close."

"Why're you..." he steeled up his nerves to say, struggling to find words. "Why're you being so...nice to me?"

She raised her eyebrows, like she hadn't been expecting the question. He felt his already sorely warm cheeks redden more. Then she giggled.

"I dunno. I like you."

He froze. There it was again-that twinge. He had never heard those words. Ever. It made him uncomfortable, but at the same time...he was 'liked.' That was a good thing.

"I don't think anyone's ever liked me," he admitted in a hoarse voice. Why was he being so honest with her? He couldn't help it-something about her made him slightly more at ease.

"Really?" She sounded sympathetic. Why? He hadn't asked for her pity. She had simply given it to him, just like that. "That's...that's sad."

She looked around quickly once more, then leaned closer to him. "I know how you feel."

His eyes widened. She...she did?

"All the kids in my school never really liked me either." She frowned, but didn't look very upset. "They were scared of me, 'cause I have powers."

"Scared...?"

"Yep. But you wanna know something? These days, I have a few friends there! Can you believe it?"

He furrowed his brows, uncomprehending. They were scared of her...but now they weren't? What was she talking about? "How?"

"Well, most of them still stay away from me. But I've got two kids who think my powers are _cool. _They're my friends, Kati and May. Super nice. Do you...did people not like you because you have powers?"

He couldn't reply to that. He honestly had no idea. Powers...what sort? He certainly didn't feel powerful, quite the opposite. Everyone acted like he did, though. They thought he was some dangerous criminal. He was so confused it hurt.

"So you're a Super Saiyan?" she asked innocently, ignoring his silence.

"I...don't know what that is." He had heard the others talking about him, calling him this 'Super Saiyan,' but he hadn't payed much attention. Was it good, bad?

"Eh, me neither. I'm not one, but my grandpa, my dad, my uncle, a bunch of others...they're all Super Saiyans. It makes them really, _really_ powerful. And blonde. It's weird, but cool."

He just shook his head to say he didn't understand, but let it go. At the moment, he was focusing more on the fact of how easily she spoke to him. He didn't know a single thing about 'friends,' but...maybe this was one? _Maybe?_

She read his mind perfectly, "I think we get along well. Wanna join my buddy list?" She beamed and his jaw dropped. Buddy, pal, friend. It all meant the same. And she wanted him to be one with her. His clenched hand shook.

She giggled softly. "Hey, now. No need to get all emotional on me."

He roughly rubbed at his eye with the heel of his palm, not liking the way it stung, threatening to water. He couldn't help it. There was a lump of emotion in his throat that felt completely alien. And...he kind of liked it. It made him _feel. _He somehow didn't think that had happened in a long, long time. Oh so gradually, the tiniest of smiles formed on his lips.

"...Thank you..."

~!*!~

**Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Read and enjoy! Please tell me what you think!**

~!*!~

"Pan!"

She jumped with a muffled squeak at her father's harsh voice, then immediately lowered her eyes shamefully. She had been caught in the act. "Um...sorry?"

He more or less marched over, anger and disappointment in his face. She had gone against his direct command, which for her wasn't extremely unusual. But this particular situation was serious. He had hoped she would grasp the gravity. Truly, she had, but that hadn't stopped her. She told herself she didn't care what they said; Broly couldn't possibly be the big bad man they made him out to be. She could tell.

"Pan, I told you to stay away." He stopped right in front of the bedridden Saiyan, causing him to push deeper into the back cushions with a barely audible whine. "Why did you disobey me like that? I know you don't understand everything yet, but I tol-"

"I want to know why you're so mean to him!" Pan suddenly burst, then immediately bit her tongue. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. Then she swallowed, knowing there was no going back so she might as well find out more.

"I said I would explain later, though maybe I shouldn't, with how you've been acting." There was a definite threat there. He knew she was dying to know.

"Papa!" she complained earnestly. "Please, can't you just tell me what the big deal is? Don't you see-he wouldn't hurt a fly! Why-"

"Goten." Gohan looked sharply to his younger brother and Goten stood at attention. "How much did you tell her?"

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, Goten averted his eyes. "Not much. Just that you and I knew him from a long time ago."

"And that he's a Saiyan," Pan added. Gohan sighed.

"That's all you need to know for now, more than enough," he said tiredly. Pan could tell by his voice he was conflicted. Between what?

Her mother came up behind Gohan, rubbing his shoulder. "She didn't mean any harm. If anything, she was doing what you'd always taught-being a good person."

"I know..." He tightened his jaw and looked up at Pan again. "Just don't do again, alright? Not now."

"Not now...?" She was so confused. Maybe there were things that needed to be settled, and until then she couldn't talk to her new friend. Thinking about that, she almost considered telling her father what had been established between the two of them. But now wasn't the time.

"And you." He scowled at Broly, but it wasn't nearly as furious as before. Just weary and unsure. "If I catch you even _looking _at her again..." He shook his head, unable to verbally state a threat but warning that it wouldn't be pleasant. Biting his bottom lip anxiously, the Saiyan nodded slightly. Gohan's shoulders relaxed.

"Good."

~!*!~

A couple hours later, arrangements had been made. Pan and her mother had gone back to their house, while Gohan stayed behind. It wasn't that he didn't trust Goten, he just felt better staying with them for the time being while all of the insanity was going on. He still hated having his mother in the same vicinity as Broly, but as of now there wasn't much to do. Not to mention, when he had subtly hinted at her perhaps leaving the house, she had strongly declined. She was unwilling to leave the Saiyan in his current condition, even if it wasn't necessarily life-threatening. Gohan didn't understand it.

He allowed her to stay, though, knowing she wouldn't have it otherwise. So now he was on guard duty, reclined on the second couch, but in no way relaxed. No, he wouldn't relax until Broly was gone. For now, he appeared to be asleep, rolled on his side so his back was facing out. Gohan no longer seethed at the sight of him, settling on emptying his mind as he blankly watched the other's gentle rise and fall of breath. So peaceful...as though he had never been the ruthless monster that had destroyed entire galaxies. The one that had very nearly killed Gohan and his loved ones on multiple occasions.

Problem was, the fool had no memory of it. No memory of the millions he had hurt, families he had torn apart, worlds he had ruined. It was sickening. He had paid for his crimes by dying, true enough, but still... He had done nothing to redeem himself. Gohan simply couldn't forgive him. At least not yet.

He narrowed his eyes when Broly gave a low moan, moving so he was lying uncomfortably on his stomach. The way he tensed it was easy to tell he was in pain. ChiChi had done what she could with what she had to figure out what the cause was after he had reluctantly admitted: headache, nausea, fever, just about everything in between. By now, he was already diving into the symptoms of a cold, a result of at least one day out in yesterday's terrible weather. No doubt he was nothing short of miserable. To be honest, Gohan wanted to feel bad. He hated seeing others suffer. It was just a little harder with this one.

Then he was snapped out of his thoughts by noticing he was being watched. For the first time, Broly didn't look away when Gohan met his eye, two pairs of deep dark eyes locked, one sharp and intense, the other unfocused and clouded. Gohan had always remembered his eyes as being a cold, furious green, the mark of a true Super Saiyan. It was hard to pull up the memory of his normal state, when they first met. It was strangely unfamiliar. In his original form, his face lacked that certain strength. If anything...it held sadness. Or loneliness. He had never noticed before.

His eyelids fell heavily before he blinked awake, massaging his face with one hand. Gohan frowned. He seemed so desperate not to fall asleep, despite his obvious state. It made sense that he was wary, but they had done nothing to hurt him-as of yet, anyhow-so he had no real reason to fear. What else was there that kept him awake? Gohan almost considered asking, but held back. No reason to communicate unnecessarily.

"That girl was your daughter..?" Gohan hadn't been expecting the question. Sounding as terrible as he looked, Broly watched him patiently, awaiting an answer. It took a few seconds for Gohan to decide whether or not to oblige.

"...Why do you want to know?" he asked rather harshly. He relaxed the scowl that had suddenly grown on his face, hoping he wasn't being too aggressive. No need for that. He blamed it on his lack of sleep the night before, and the knowledge that he wouldn't get any tonight.

"I..." He was thrown back by the response. "I just wanted to know..."

Gohan studied him quietly. He found it hard to believe a guy like that could lie smoothly, especially now.

"Yes. She is." He shot him a look. "You know that means you'll answer to me if anything happens to her, right?"

The other swallowed dryly, nodding and turning his eyes down to the floor. Gohan silently chided himself. He was being too hard on him. A part of his mind said the Saiyan deserved it and more, while the other, calmer side disagreed. He was another person now, like it or not. He didn't like it, but he had to accept it. If he acted out like that, Broly wouldn't understand. After a while, he would probably come to despise Gohan for it. That was something he definitely wished to avoid.

"What did she say to you?" Gohan suddenly felt the need to ask. He was curious more than anything in this regard. When he had looked over, she had been smiling happily. He could only imagine the conversation they had.

He got suspicious when the Super Saiyan's already tinged pink cheeks grew brighter. "Um...she..." He couldn't seem to process his own thoughts as he knit his brows, a bead of sweat making its way down his forehead.

"She said she was my friend."

Gohan stopped. Friend...? Pan had said that? It wasn't the most unusual thing in the world-she was outgoing and typically friendly, even though a bit characteristically rude occasionally. But to be so kind to a man she had just met, especially one she had been specifically warned to stay away from. She was most likely acting out of disregard to her parents. Except, he couldn't see her lying so outright to someone like this. Maybe she honestly did think of this man as a...a friend for her own valid reasons. She probably pitied him.

"She did, did she...?" he murmured mostly to himself. He would have to talk to her about it the next day. In the meantime, however... "Why don't you, er, get some rest?"

Broly stared at him again with those infuriatingly innocent eyes, puzzled by his suggestion. Then he furrowed his brow and absently rubbed at his temple. "Can't."

"You can't? Why not?"

"Just...because."

Very well, then. Gohan quit trying and instead leaned back in his own seat, folding his hands behind his head. It wasn't hard to tell Broly had gotten little to no sleep the past however many nights he was in the woods, what with the dark circles beneath his eyes and his sluggish movements. He appeared ready to pass out. But Gohan wouldn't argue. It wasn't his problem.

~!*!~

When he opened them, Gohan's lids felt like they were weighted with rocks. He yawned, stretching sorely. Then he stopped. Had he just been...?

Darn it all, he had fallen asleep.

That woke his attention and he sat straight up. The room was light now, meaning he had slept through the night. He silently cursed in his head. Some guard he was!

But as it turned out, his panic was uncalled for. He reluctantly released the unconscious strain in his body and let out a short sigh. Albeit positions changed, the Super Saiyan was in the same spot he'd left him in. Now he was snoring, one arm and leg hanging off the side of the couch, the old blanket discarded on the floor in a heap.

All of a sudden, his half-awake senses tingled overwhelmingly. That smell...it was heavenly. And it was coming from the kitchen. His legs started moving on their own.

ChiChi turned around when he came in and smiled. "Well, look who's finally awake."

"You should've woken me up," he mumbled, not paying much attention to anything other than the sizzling pan on the stove. "Er...is this almost done?"

She laughed a little, turning back to her cooking. "Yes, just be patient. And go wake your brother up, would you? I'm surprised he hasn't come in already."

After shooting a brief glimpse into the living room to see Broly still passed out, Gohan did as told and popped into Goten's bedroom. The deja vu he received was pleasant. Waking Goten up nearly every morning as the boy loved to sleep in, waiting impatiently for his mom to finish breakfast preparations. Typical day, just as he liked it. Except now he had his own family, own house. And he loved it that way as well. Reminiscing was always good, but one had to stay focused on the present. Unfortunately, now the present was riddled with a few problems.

When he quietly opened the bedroom door, he hadn't expected him to actually be awake. Nor did he expect Goten to almost plow him over.

"Whoa! Gohan?" Goten instinctively reeled back before running into his brother. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Mom told me to wake you up, but..." Gohan smiled, then almost stumbled as Goten thoughtlessly brushed by him. "Hey!"

"Sorry! Breakfast is calling!"

Gohan rolled his eyes, but was soon on his heels.

Not long later, the three Sons were seated at the kitchen table, pancakes stacked high. No time was wasted before the boys happily dug in, thanking her distractedly with full mouthes. ChiChi just nodded with a small smile. Despite having to make a considerably larger meal each time, she obviously loved having her eldest son back at the house, disregarding the fact he only lived in the next house over.

"So..." she said slowly to Gohan. "How long do you plan on staying here? I mean, I'm not saying-"

"I get it." He chuckled, mouth still stuffed with food. He took a swig of his orange juice glass before frowning lightly. "I really don't know. You can be sure I won't leave here till Broly does. I refuse to leave you two alone with him."

"Gohan," Goten remarked, "I get your worry about Mom, but...you know I can protect her, too, right?"

Gohan blinked, the argument having never occurred to him. "No, no. I know you can. I just...I just feel better staying here. I don't doubt your ability to keep her safe-heh, you held up against him astonishingly well those other times."

"I did, didn't I." He grinned teasingly.

"On that note..." Their mother placed her cup down gently. "Have you decided what you plan on doing with him?"

The two fell silent, lapsing into thought. Gohan only wished he knew. Truth was, there wasn't much they _could _do. At the moment, he was no considerable threat, clearly lacking fighting spirit due to his memory wipe. That meant they couldn't fight to get rid of him. The mere thought of killing him in cold blood sent a shiver down Gohan's spine. That was no option. To be quite frank, the only thing they were able to do was keep him within their sight, just watch and see. There was still a chance he could get his memory back, and that would be dangerous. That was the main reason Gohan stayed so close.

"We can't do anything, I guess," he finally admitted softly. "Keep him close, see that we stay on his good side. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Who knows," Goten piped up in the same low tone. He had a crooked grin. "Maybe he'll even join our side."

Gohan snorted half-heartedly. "Wouldn't that be interesting."

"Um..."

All three immediately turned at the tiny voice. Gohan stood, the chair screeching harshly as it slid back. "Broly?"

He wasn't shocked at his presence, rather the fact that he was standing upright, more or less. The disheveled Saiyan leaned heavily against the doorway to the kitchen, looking to be only partly attached to reality as he took in the room, overall settling on the dwindling plate of cakes. It was then that Gohan realized he most likely hadn't eaten in days, and the pancakes indeed smelled like godly food even to someone who wasn't starving.

ChiChi stood as well, though much calmer. She noted the direction his bleary gaze was aimed at and acted accordingly.

"You must be famished." She gave him a comforting smile. "Care to join us?"

"_Mom!_" both of her boys exclaimed indignantly. She ignored them.

Broly, for his part, held back, wavering uneasily. It was plain to see he was barely restraining himself, but perhaps he was more polite-or smarter-than Gohan had initially thought. Had it been nearly anyone else, Gohan would have been the first to invite them to a meal, especially someone so physically and mentally frail as this one. He still supposed he was being a somewhat overly-aggressive towards him, but he had good reasons. In this case, he was still unused to seeing the same face that had tried more than once to kill him in his kitchen.

But he grit his teeth and remained standing in his spot while his mother continued playing doctor and went over to him, unhesitatingly pressing the back of her hand against his forehead. She twisted her lips and crossed her arms loosely in thought.

"Your fever's still high. Are you sure you can eat?" Then she jokingly rolled her eyes. "Oh, what am I talking about. You're Saiyan, of course you'll eat."

Gohan sent his brother a look when Goten snorted with amusement.

Said Saiyan didn't seem to know what to make of the comment, but went along wordlessly when she entered the living room, gesturing for him to follow. Both Son boys were behind her in the blink of an eye, sending off warning auras that Broly most undoubtedly caught. Ignoring them both, ChiChi pointed to the couch.

"You stay there," she instructed Broly, waiting for him to meekly obey before going on. "I'll find you something to eat. Goten, please get me a wet cloth."

"Al...alright." He left the room hurriedly and returned within seconds, holding a rung-out cold washcloth. "Here."

She nodded her thanks, taking it, and laying it across the sick Saiyan's brow. He opened his mouth to protest when it hung over his eyes, but instead chewed his lip, evidently trusting enough. Gohan had to admit he was slightly surprised at that. Broly certainly favored ChiChi over any of the others, save maybe Pan. It was likely because he understood the circumstances. He _was _smarter than Gohan made him out to be. But in Gohan's defense, all he had ever seen Broly as was a giant lunatic.

"Let's see..." ChiChi murmured to herself as she reentered the kitchen, tapping her chin in thought. "See, this is where I almost wish one of you guys would get sick. I have nothing in the house...!"

Gohan couldn't keep from smiling a bit. He knew she hated not having exactly what she needed in the house. Part of that probably came from there not being many stores within the twenty mile radius. Unlike when he was growing up, they actually had a car now, so it was significantly easier to get around.

"So." Goten had his arms crossed, but not angrily. He carefully sat on the coffee table, glancing back to make sure his mother didn't see. "Broly, was that baby dinosaur your friend?"

"What?" Gohan blinked, raising a brow at his brother. What dinosaur?

Broly hesitated for a second, then nodded. Goten smiled like he was satisfied to be correct. "The little guy helped bring you here?"

"Yes."

"I love baby dinosaurs." Goten leaned over so his head was propped up in his hand. "I had tons of them as friends when I was younger. I mean, I still do now, but they're not babies anymore."

"Goten, what are you talking about?" Gohan interjected. "What baby dinosaur?"

He looked up at him with a twinkle in his eye. "When we first found Broly outside there was a little dino hovering over him. He was so heartbroken when we brought his friend inside without 'im."

"You and your animal friends..."

"Says you! You had tons of them when you were a kid!"

Gohan laughed quietly. "Yeah, I know. Just messing with ya. I've still got Icarus around, after all."

What had once been a cute and tiny purple dragon had since then become a huge yet still sweetly attached beast. He was getting up in the years, but he would on the rare occasion stop by the edge of the woods while Gohan was outside, the two exchanging greetings. He had a family now, and Gohan had watched them hatch years ago. Fond memories, for sure.

And to think even Broly had made a creature friend. It wasn't too shocking-baby dinosaurs had a tendency to be curious and very good at making friends, even if the other was opposed. He just felt bad for the baby-his partner had been taken from him. He wouldn't surprised if it were right outside now.

They sat in silence for a while, clanking from the kitchen a suitable background noise. Someone could have written 'awkward' in the air with bold letters and it still wouldn't be blatant enough. All three were relieved when ChiChi finally came back in, holding a steaming white bowl. Gohan didn't care that he had just eaten-whatever that bowl contained smelled delicious.

Before placing it in his lap, she pushed the cloth higher on his head so it was no longer veiling his eyes, causing him to blink in the light. When he looked down at the hot dish, his eyes brightened with a love every Saiyan had for food. ChiChi nodded to herself, pleased, when he immediately began shoving the piping hot soup into a mouth that hadn't seen food in days. It was impossible not to compare him with Goku right then.

And as similar as anyone could get to her husband, he laid the bowl down again in less than a minute. Goten noticed and he nudged his brother playfully, only getting an eye roll back.

"That's all you'll get for now," ChiChi told him regretfully, taking the dish from his reluctant grip. "I don't want to chance you getting sick. Now rest."

Both he and Goten gazed after her with disappointment as she disappeared into the other room, willing the soup to come back. Though also a bit hungrier after catching a whiff of his mother's rare chicken soup, Gohan simply sighed and sat down on the other couch. Beyond the window, clouds were gathering thickly once again after a day of reprieve, the wind picking up and whistling. In turn, the room was darker now, setting a more brooding mood. The day had only just begun. There was no telling how the rest of it would go.

~!*!~

He's pure evil...! You're not fighting a Saiyan...you're fighting a monster. He should be dead!

The pounding of his heart was deafening in his ears. The voices would not stop. Just blurred images, fading in and out, never constant.

...a power level of ten thousand! ...power like that could overthrow the king!

His entire body was trembling, breath coming in shallow gasps.

He's a threat. He should be killed.

Killed. A shadow loomed above, deep inky black. Metal scraped and horrified chills arced through his body. A bright gleam flashed before his eyes. The shadow reared back its hand.

Time to go to sleep, little fella.

The blade plunged into his heart and Broly woke up screaming.

_A dream. _It had been a _dream. _Then why did it feel so agonizingly real?

He couldn't breathe. His chest hurt where it had been pierced, the rest of his body tingling numbly. He was shaking uncontrollably, drenched in a cold sweat. Why couldn't he breathe? It was just desperate, ragged gasps. He was terrified.

"Broly...Broly!"

He knew that voice. The one who had tried to save him. He was lifeless on the cold floor. Another shadow fell over his tiny body, eyes wide and fearful. He had been whispering his name, resting a large rough hand on his own twitching, red chest. At the shadow's touch, he had wailed.

"Hey...snap out of it!"

His vision sharpened. A steady hand was on his shoulder, not his chest. The voice that spoke his name was also familiar, but belonged to another. Everything around him was warm, not black and icy. He was safe.

Be it as it may, his unsteady hands went to his face as he unintentionally let out a hoarse moan. He was safe, _safe. _Not dying. Not dead. Perfectly alive. Repeating those words in his head was almost second nature by now, yet this time it didn't work. He couldn't be consoled. He was choking, hot tears spilling over mercilessly. Those voices...they made his blood run cold. And he couldn't get rid of them. Even now, they were whispering in his ear.

He was breaking down, mind collapsing, body failing. He was so unbelievably scared. He hated it. Hated, hated, _hated it._

"Broly! Stop!"

His hands were roughly yanked down and he was forced nose to nose with a horrified face. Teeth clenched, a bead of sweat running down his temple, Gohan backed up slightly. Two voices sounded at the edge of his hearing, growing louder, the kind lady being one of them. She was coming. He was safe. She would take care of him. He wouldn't die.

The mere thought held enough overwhelming relief that he didn't even attempt to restrain his sobs.

~!*!~

**Thank you for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Please read and enjoy!**

~!*!~

Gohan gave a short, weary sigh. That had been close, too close. Broly had almost lost it, whether he knew it himself or not. His scream had sent Gohan jumping a good foot in the air, shocked out of his doze with brutal force. It had all been downhill from there. He had rushed over in time to find the Saiyan's hair flashing gold, a bad sign in this case. By the looks of things he was delving into a panic attack, panting and trembling. A mess Gohan wasn't quite sure how to deal with. He just had to hope his mother had heard and would come. She was better with him anyway.

ChiChi had indeed come running and was now kneeling by the profusely crying Saiyan while Goten hung back with sleep in his eyes. It was past midnight and both were only half awake. Gohan himself had gotten the sleep scared out of him effectively. He had heard that scream plenty more times than he cared for and it had always spelled trouble. But then again, this one hadn't been out of rage-rather wild fear.

"Calm down," ChiChi tried, brows knit as she rubbed his bare back comfortingly, though it was to no avail. "Easy, easy..."

Goten approached his brother, eyeing Broly with bafflement. "What on earth happened?"

"I...I don't really know," he admitted softly. "I'm pretty sure he had a nightmare."

"That energy spike...did he...?"

"He almost went Super Saiyan," Gohan confirmed grimly. "Luckily I was able to snap him out of it in time. If he had done it, there's no telling what he would do. Lose all his reason, try to kill us all. I don't know."

"Wow..." He laughed nervously, patting Gohan's shoulder. "Good going, then! I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to fight him in my pajamas."

Gohan couldn't even crack a smile, watching the two before him. ChiChi's mere presence seemed to be doing the trick as Broly's sobs quieted into racking hiccups and sniffling. He was so...pathetic. Gohan certainly wasn't the type to judge negatively, but he was so completely _opposite _of the man they had first fought. Shy, anxious, breaking into tears at almost a moment's notice. It was bizarre. But Gohan wasn't complaining-he would take a crying Broly over an insane monster any day.

"There you go." ChiChi smiled her encouragement, squeezing his shoulder. "Much better."

He took deep, calming breaths, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes tiredly, still sniffing. After all the excitement, he looked close to passing out, shoulders lowered and back hunched. Possibly the only thing keeping him upright was ChiChi's touch, her hand resuming gently massaging between his shoulder blades. He was shivering, teeth chattering, and hugging himself tightly, but at least he had calmed somewhat.

"Now, do you think you're ready to tell me what's wrong?" she asked, standing and thus retracting her hand. His trembling worsened but only Gohan seemed to notice.

"I..." He inhaled deeply before releasing it shakily. "I'm sorry...I'm really sorry..."

ChiChi only shook her head at his apology. "It's alright, trust me. I've had experience with these things." The last remark was aimed lovingly at her oldest son and Gohan looked down.

"It was a dream..." Broly muttered, not to anyone in particular. "Just a dream."

"You had a nightmare? Oh, I remember when Goten was little he wou-"

"Mom..." Goten mumbled, following Gohan's lead and staring at the floor.

She winked at him, then turned serious again. "Do you want to tell me?"

They waited patiently for a short while as he collected himself, trembling soon ceased. Then he mumbled almost inaudibly, "They tried to kill me..."

Gohan's first reaction was vague guilt. _They, _meaning him, Goten, Trunks, Kami knows how many others? Yeah, they had tried-and succeeded-to kill him, but it was out of self defense. Then again, death was scary for anyone, even villains who deserved it. And in the shape he was in, the dream experience must have been doubly terrifying.

"Who did?" ChiChi prompted.

"The...I don't know. Don't remember."

"Don't remember your dream?"

He shook his head slightly. "No, the people in it. They...they were real."

ChiChi just pursed her lips sympathetically while Gohan subconsciously tapped his finger against the side of his leg. 'They were real', meaning it had been a memory. Either that or his imagination, but given the circumstances it was more likely his past returning, unfortunately enough. But maybe this was as far as it would go. He wouldn't remember any more.

"I...I was a baby." His tone suggested that the thought had just come to him. "And...they tried to kill me."

ChiChi's brows rose at the same time as the other twos'. He had almost been murdered as a mere child? Gohan was reminded that he had been born on planet Vegeta, home to some of the most ruthless warriors in the universe. Still, that didn't make it right at all.

"Why?" The word slipped out of Gohan's mouth before he could stop it.

Broly turned to him warily and the sad, frightened tremor in his eye was answer enough. He didn't know. But then he looked away, frowning with hidden frustration. "The voices said I...I was a threat. To the king."

"The king..." Their resident prince's father, King Vegeta. He knew next to nothing about Saiyan ways-he had tried more than once to get Vegeta to talk about it, but in vain-but judging by the entirety of the race, he could only guess how terrible their leader was. It was no surprise he would order that an infant be put to death simply for his own selfish needs. Gohan got the feeling it was due to Broly's unnatural power level, which he had witnessed in full.

"That's awful," ChiChi exclaimed quietly. She looked angry, like she wanted to march up to that king and give him a piece of her mind, had he been alive. "But you survived. That's what matters."

"I guess."

She was so...motherly. By no means was Gohan saying she was a bad mother figure, far from it, but this display was more gentle than he was used to seeing. When he and Goten were young, she would comfort them with soft words and gestures, then do her very best to get them back on their feet and strong. A playful tease, a gentle scolding. It had been the best remedy in the world for them. But with Broly, she dropped the last part, at least for now. She was far smart enough to see that strong words would get him nowhere, he was too delicate, astonishing as it was. Now was the time for gentleness, rebuilding would come later.

"It was real, wasn't it." Gohan glanced up, startled, when he realized the statement had been aimed at him. Broly held his gaze intensely, more focused than he had seen him the last few days.

"I can't say for sure. I wasn't there," was his blunt response. He could sense the discouragement his answer stirred.

"It's so hard..." Broly muttered feverishly. He let his head fall into his hands again, emotion coming over his face as he choked out, "I can't remember _anything._"

The words hit Gohan in a way he hadn't expected. Personally he had never dealt with amnesia, so he couldn't relate, but he supposed there would be a level of frustration. Not having a clue where you came from, or even who you are. It would drive him mad. All of a sudden he was beginning to tap into the Super Saiyan's true emotions, what he was dealing with in full. Undoubtedly, his physical pain paled in comparison.

"But..." he went on, muffled from behind his hands. "I don't think I want to remember."

At that, no one had a response. None of them wanted him to remember either, quite frankly, despite how much hardship it caused him. There was no telling what he would if he were to regain his past-his old grudge with Goku could be an issue, seeing as how he wasn't even here. Maybe he would move to the next best thing: Gohan and Goten. Or...he could just blow up the planet, maybe the galaxy. It was hard to predict.

In the meantime, Gohan made up his mind. He would do most everything he could to keep the Saiyan from regaining his memory, however that may be. He would start with keeping him busy.

"I doubt any of us will be able to fall back asleep, at least for a while," he said seriously, then glanced over at the wall clock. It was precisely 3 o' clock in the wee hours of the morning. He had never liked getting up early, but today was an exception.

ChiChi nodded her agreement before bending over to lay a hand on Broly's shoulder, pleased to find his shivering had all but ceased. "Well, _I _think a warm shower would do you some good. Can you come with me?"

He nodded just noticeably, slowly lifting his head again and releasing a weary sigh. The two Son boys stood in their places as she led him away to the other room, then without a word exchanged, Goten sent his brother a tiny sideways smile and followed after them. Gohan made sure to track their movements through his ki, but was too deep in thought to unglue his feet from the floor. What on earth were they possibly supposed to do?

~!*!~

Broly desperately hoped this so-called 'shower' would help him. He was so sick of being...sick. Just by standing upright his senses were knocked off kilter, everything spinning and darkening, and his legs felt like they were made of water. Even after suffering through it for several days, he couldn't say he'd gotten used to the feeling. He loathed this weakness. There was some kind of passion within that wanted nothing more than to be strong. He simply couldn't oblige.

The kind lady instructed him on what to do briefly, pointing out a veiled tub and twisting a knob that caused water to rain down inside. It was foreign, even if he had his memory. Nonetheless, he thanked her and watched as she left the small room, closing the door behind her. For a few elongated moments he stood frozen, staring into nothingness as the water drummed against the floor of the bowl. He was so exhausted and overwhelmed he almost wasn't sure he'd be able to move a step. There was too much flying numbly about his brain.

Then his eyes absently trailed up and he jumped in surprise to see another person standing before him. No...the person was him. A reflection. Inwardly, he sighed in relief, but then took the time to actually focus on the crystal clear image. He honestly wasn't surprised at how understandably terrible he appeared-black bangs plastered to his forehead by sweat, dull irises stood out all the more against flushed pale skin. Glancing down, he was strangely disturbed by how thin and frail he looked, like he might snap at any given moment. That was how he felt on the inside anyhow.

His vision blurred and he was snapped out of his daze. He began to grow nauseous from being on his feet for an extended period, hurrying to undress and duck under the downpour before he lost consciousness altogether. Unaccustomed to the sensation, his skin tingled from the warm water, sending a shiver all the way down his stiff back. It was only then that he made a discovery:

A _tail. _He had a tail. Long, brown, and furred, it hung limply like the forgotten limb it was. How had he not noticed? Though, perhaps it was just like an arm and leg, a necessary extension. He wouldn't acknowledge the fact that he had an arm unless it was clearly pointed out, he supposed. Almost as though it knew it had been noticed, his tail tensed and coiled, soaking in the warmth to deliver it throughout the rest of his body. He had to admit, he kind of liked it.

Did the others have tails? He didn't see why not. It wasn't the highest of concerns so he pushed it away in his mind and settled on closing his eyes, head bowed under the onslaught. Already, the somewhat compact room was filling with steam, making it slightly more challenging to breathe. That was fine, he told himself, he would just hurry and finish, then go back to the wide open. He did as the lady had said, scrubbing away the dirt and sweat best he could, appreciating the end result. Even though it was alien, he was the first to admit it was really nice.

That aside, the heat was making him uncomfortable. Taking in as deep a breath as he could to force down the nausea, he balanced himself with one hand against the solid wall. A raging fever and steam combined were bad partners, he found out. Regardless of how amazing the water felt running through his hair, he was forced to pick up the pace, remembering the lady's instructions to turn the handle to the left. The stream trickled to a stop and his skin was met with cold air. Clenching his teeth, a tiny speck of regret floating through the edges of his aching head, he looked around for the 'towel' she had specifically pointed out. It was freezing.

There, next to the smaller faucet. And folded on top of the long brown sheet were a few more unidentifiable cloths. Gingerly picking up one of the cloths, he was pleasantly surprised to find it was some clothing, and a shirt by the looks of it. Personally, he had always found top garments unnecessary. They were inconvenient in fierce battle.

Wait. What?

He furrowed his brows, looking down. How did he know that? Battle? What did he know about fighting? Somehow he knew he had done quite a lot of it. He just couldn't _remember. _Battle...fighting...blood coating his arm like a gory sleeve.

He gasped, jerking back. "W-what...?"

A world's surface in ruins, smoldering craters dotting the landscape, blazing forests. Houses were up in flames and blackened, collapsing in a explosions of dust. Furious black clouds collided, lightning bathed the land in stark white.

His heart was skipping rapidly, eyes wide, breathing ragged.

A young child screamed.

"Aah!" He was snapped back to reality when a rapping sounded from the door. He turned his head toward it, but didn't move. Panting, he curled his hands into fists and squeezed his eyes closed. Somehow he had fallen to his hands and knees, and he preferred to stay that way.

The images had miraculously faded as fast as they had come, yet that single, terrified shriek echoed through his ears. A small child, but it hadn't been him, unlike his last vision. Somehow he knew. It chilled him to the bone. The pure agony, horror.

Why did it sound so familiar.

There was one more knock on the door and the lady's voice sounded muffled, "I laid out those clothes for you. It's got to be better than what you had on before."

He had heard that very scream before. If it didn't belong to himself, then whose...?

"Can you hear me? Are you okay?"

She sounded vaguely worried. About him. He didn't think he would ever get used to that.

"Y...yes," he croaked in response, voice noticeably shaken. He winced. Now she would only be more concerned.

"Are you sure? Come back out, I've replaced your pillow and blanket."

Caught up in far too many emotions, a lump formed in his throat. This kindness...did he truly deserve it? Those houses, that scarred land...

It had all been his doing.

~!*!~

ChiChi looked up expectantly when she heard him walk in, briefly forgetting the needle and thread in her lap. Her small, warm smile immediately fell, though.

If anything, he looked a deal worse than when she'd last seen him, albeit appearing much more comfortable in a casual tee and sweatpants she had found-she inwardly chuckled at how short the clothes were against his tall frame. He more or less stumbled in, eyes cast downward, a pained frown occupying his flushed features. Obviously, she had hoped it would have better results.

Broly collapsed back onto his makeshift bed of a couch, instantly heaving a relieved sigh and closing his eyes. From beside her on the smaller sofa, Goten watched with intrigue. By the look on his face, she assumed he knew something she didn't.

"What happened in there?" Gohan asked in a low voice, leaning back against the near wall. ChiChi turned to him with confusion. There was something they weren't sharing and she didn't appreciate it.

Broly winced, like he had been anticipating the question with dread. "H-how did you know..?"

"Your energy fluctuated violently," he explained grimly. "What was it?"

His already ashen pallor lost color and he looked away, sweating nervously. However, this time it didn't seem as though Gohan's presence frightened him, rather the occurrence in the bathroom. What could have scared him so badly, ChiChi wondered.

"It..." He bit his lip, a nervous habit evidently. "It was just..."

"A memory?" Gohan's expression was somewhat cold, but there was a troubled hint in his eye.

Broly's silence was answer enough. Pondering hard, Gohan's hand unconsciously tightened into a fist. Trouble was rising fast. It didn't matter how-he _had _to keep the Super Saiyan from remembering any more, for the sake of the planet. He was clearly rattled by the latest recollection, which had been far too close to the foremost for Gohan's comfort. They had to take his mind off of it, keep him from stressing.

Problem was, it was only about three-thirty in the morning. At this point, he wouldn't be able to so much as stand on his feet for longer than a couple minutes. What was there to do...?

"Say..." ChiChi had moved to the window, peering behind the curtains. She turned her head back around to them. "It's stopped raining. Do you think the outdoors will help clear your head, Broly?"

He blinked. "I...I suppose." There was a tiny bit of relief in his tone.

It took an expected while to actually get him on his feet and walking, but the four eventually made it to the front yard. Suddenly, Gohan was glad he had brought his jacket a few days ago when he had first come to the house, because it was absolutely freezing. The rain had indeed stopped, but the water on the ground had froze and crackled beneath their feet, while at the same time providing a hazard, particularly to the weak and unsteady. Still, the air was in some strange way refreshing, despite being nose-numbingly cold.

ChiChi crossed her arms, shivering theatrically. She was snugly bundled in a thick coat, boots, gloves, and even another layer of pants, yet she still muttered her complaint on the weather. Personally, Gohan didn't mind the cold, mainly because it often brought snow. Many a year he and his family enjoyed adventures and massive snowball battles in the ice, so winter was time of sweet memories. Though he would agree with his mom; he too was snuggled in a fluffy jacket and warm boots. Goten was dressed much more lightly in only a sweater over his already-warm pajamas that he had yet to change out of. As for Broly, all he wore was a short sleeve shirt and pants that only reached the middle of his shins.

Nonetheless, he didn't seem bothered by the gusty bitter wind, in fact he appeared to be relatively happy. He stood motionless, head tilted slightly upward with closed eyes. If anything, he looked somewhat peaceful, like an ice sculpture in the frigid mountains. Gohan didn't buy it. He knew there was a whirlwind of dreadful emotion behind that frozen mask. Certainly none of them could begin to comprehend the heinous acts the Legendary Super Saiyan had committed. Broly had forgotten all of them, what it felt like to battle for blood, to disintegrate a planet for as little a reason as it was in his path. Only now it was returning to a much tamer version of himself. It was uncertain how he would react. Not well, he guessed.

"_Rrrrrah?_"

All of them turned at a tiny, curious growl. Both Goten and Broly immediately lit upon finding a small creature huddled near the house, gazing at them with wide eyes. So that was the dinosaur they had been talking about. Had the circumstances not been what they were, Gohan would have smiled. It slowly clambered to its feet, never taking its wary eyes off them. Then all of a sudden it gave a howl of joy and leapt forward.

"Oh!" ChiChi exclaimed, jumping back in surprise. Goten snorted, grinning a little.

The baby had toppled its best friend over onto his back, claiming his face with rough, slobbery licks. Between grunts and yelps of pain, Broly laughed out of pure joy. All Gohan could do was stand, shivering, watching with slight amazement. He knew the feeling well-a devoted creature happy to see you, wagging its tail and whining. It was a great feeling. But it was still odd. He had heard the insane Saiyan laugh time and time again, but it had always been mocking, _evil. _This one was utter delight. Who knew animals could have such an effect?

Still wriggling excitedly, the dino clenched the front of Broly's shirt between its giant teeth and gently pulled, assisting its friend to a more comfortable sitting position. Visibly worn out from the brief attack, the Saiyan could only grin and rub his hand up and down the baby's muscular neck. It licked him again in response. Then Goten took a step forward, leaning down toward the baby.

"What's his name?" he asked Broly, gingerly patting the dino's head while it was distracted. He immediately drew back when it nearly snapped his fingers off. "Yeesh!"

"I..." He frowned, concerned. "He doesn't have one."

"We can't have that." Goten held the dinosaur's glare evenly with his own, cradling his perfectly uninjured hand. "This one's feisty. Most animals love me!" He pouted.

"What color is he?" ChiChi asked, tentatively staying away. "It's too dark to tell, but maybe that can help with the naming."

"Um, brown. And yellow. His mother is brown and his dad is yellow."

"Huh..."

His plan had worked, Gohan realized. He hadn't anticipated the dinosaur showing up, but a trip outside had succeeded in drawing Broly away from the memories, for now anyway. They would just have to see how long it lasted. Perhaps if they kept the two together...

"Gohan, what do you think?" his mother inquired, now kneeling beside the baby and letting it cuddle close to her. Goten hung back, offended.

"Hm?" He blinked out of his thoughts. About what? The name? "I don't know. Goten was always the one to name them all."

"Well, I'm not naming this one," he sniffed. "It doesn't like me."

Gohan allowed himself a chuckle. "Maybe it's because you haven't been outside in so long. It doesn't recognize you."

"Aw..."

ChiChi laughed when the little creature bared its teeth in Goten's directions. He crossed his arms and tried to look ticked, but eventually a tiny smile grew on his face. No more than a few seconds later, he laughed and shoved the baby roughly, urging it on. The accepted challenge actually shone in its eyes.

Gohan shook his head amusedly, watching the full-blown brawl from a distance. Whereas he had always attempted to befriend animals, Goten usually preferred to play their game, rough-and-tumble play fighting. More than once when he was younger, he would come home bruised and bloodied, but grinning happily. ChiChi would have a tremendous fit every time, but it brought him joy, so she finally stopped pestering him about it. Just like now, Gohan could only watch with an ever-expanding smile. That boy would never truly grow up, exactly like their father.

He frowned, however, when he noticed Broly watching the fight from afar, expression guarded and a bit sullen. This wasn't good. The more time he spent alone, the more he would dwell. He needed to be active, though it was assuredly hard with his illness. Nonetheless...

"Why don't you join them?" It wasn't so much a suggestion than a well-hidden command from Gohan. He folded his arms. It occurred to him that he was talking to a full-blooded Saiyan. Their love of battle was unrivaled, entwined in their blood. Surely he couldn't refuse.

He was faintly shocked when Broly didn't reply right away, instead aiming his unfocused gaze on the glittering wet grass in front of him. Then he cringed, one arm unconsciously wrapping around his middle. Gohan sucked in through his teeth, brows raising. Had he just made a huge mistake, bringing up any sort of fight to him? What if it spurred more memory? Oh, Kami, how could he have...

"No," Broly mumbled, a tinge of pain in his voice.

"Why not?" ChiChi asked, not catching on to Gohan's vague panic. He barely shook his head at her warningly, but she didn't notice.

The Saiyan chewed the corner of his lip, tightening his grip around his stomach. "I just...can't."

"Don't feel up to it?"

He nodded, embarrassed. Inside, Gohan let out a sigh of relief. So was that it? Just nausea? Or was he hiding the real reason. In any case, there was no way to find out, so Gohan reluctantly let it go. He was being so paranoid...maybe he needed to lighten up just a tiny bit. There was still a very dangerous risk at hand, but perhaps there wasn't need at the moment to be so tense. He had to remind himself: if anything were to happen, it was almost guaranteed they would defeat him in battle. He was extraordinarily powerful, yes, but a lot had changed over the years.

He gave a startled yelp when a bulky weight nearly tripped him by the ankles. At his feet, the little dinosaur looked up innocently, crawling unsteadily to its feet and shaking off water. It licked Gohan's ankle once, then trotted away again, tail wagging. Gohan snorted good-naturedly. Baby animals...

Its next stop was the dejected Broly, promptly nudging him over onto his back and curling up beside him. After that, he seemed considerably happier, despite the uncomfortable position. Good, very good. Gohan was silently thanking that baby profusely. It could be a big help.

~!*!~

**Thank you for reading! And happy Thanksgiving! (On that note, it may take a little longer for the next chapter because of the holiday and such. If you're patient, I'll give you a virtual cookie. :)**


End file.
